Bordeaux

• Bordeaux is a cathedral city located on the River Garonne in the Nouvelle Aquitaine Region in southwestern France.
• The city was Roman Burdigala, capital city of the Bituriges Vivisci Gallic Tribe and capital of the Province of Gallia Aquitania.

History

• Bordeaux replaced Saintes as the capital of Gallia Aquitania at an unspecified date.
• Bordeaux was an Atlantic Port trading up the coast to Britannia and beyond. Goods were then moved inland to Toulouse and on to the Mediterranean.
• The Roman Navy Unit based at Bordeaux (Burdigala) was the Classis Aquitanica. The Church of St. Pierre is located on the site of the former Roman Harbour and Naval Base. During the Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BCE) the navy was sent from Bordeaux to operate off the northern coast of Spain. A statue of Hercules overlooked the Harbour, and is now in the Museum of Aquitaine.
• The Bordeaux itinerary (333-334 CE) is the first recorded Christian Pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The author describes the Roman Roads from Bordeaux in great detail, including each Posting House where they changed horses.
• Between 418-507 CE, Bordeaux became part of the Kingdom of the Visigoths in Gaul.

Roman Sites

• Bordeaux Roman Amphitheatre
  • The Ruins are known as the ‘Palais Gallien’.
• Bordeaux Roman Harbour:
  • The Church of St. Pierre is located on the site of the former Roman Harbour, now filled in.. This would have been the location of the Naval Base of the Classis Aquitanica.
  • The Patron God overseeing the Harbour was Hercules. His statue is in the Museum of Aquitaine.

Museums

• Museum of Aquitaine
  • Holds the Statue of Hercules and other Roman Finds.
• Marine Museum of Bordeaux
• Museum of Maritime History Bordeaux

Roman Roads

• Via Aquitania
  • Bordeaux-Toulouse–Carcassonne–Narbonne
• Via Lusitanorum
  • Bordeaux-Leon–Porto–Lisbon

Musee Mer Marine Bordeaux, Art Museum (The image above is of the museum entrance)